The Westchester County Police Marine Unit conducted three separate rescues of distressed boaters in recent days on the Hudson River.
In the most recent incident, a Poughkeepsie couple was rescued Thursday after they put out a distress call that their sailboat ran aground on a large rock along the Hudson River in Scarborough and was taking on water.
The distress call came via marine radio at 11:54 a.m. Leathem Mehaffey, 61, reported that his 28-foot Pierson sailing vessel was listing hard to the port side and was in danger of capsizing off Scarborough. His wife Ann, 60, was also on board.
Detective C.J. Westbrook and P.O. Michael Knapp responded aboard Marine 3, a 31-foot SAFEBOAT, arriving before the couple had to enter the water, which was as much as 9 feet deep in the area.
The Mehaffeys were not injured and were returned to shore by Marine 3. Their sailboat was secured by Sea-Tow and taken to the Westerly Marina in Ossining.
On Wednesday, about 6:30 p.m., a Bronx man and his son capsized a 15-foot sailboat off Croton-on-Hudson. The Marine Unit rescued the father and son – Michael Purcell, 41, and his 10-year-old son – from the water, righted their sailboat and escorted them to shore.
On Tuesday, about 4 p.m., a Cortlandt mother contacted police to report that her 14-year-old daughter and a friend were out sailing on the Hudson and had failed to return at 2 p.m. as expected. The Marine Unit began a search of the waters off Cortlandt and located the two teens, who were having difficulty getting back to shore due to choppy waters and brisk winds.
The two teens were taken aboard Marine 3 and county police towed their sailboat back to the Viking Marina in Verplanck.
The county police Aviation Unit helicopter responded to each incident and monitored the rescues from the air.
"All of these incidents had the potential to be much worse except for the prompt response by the Marine Unit," Public Safety Commissioner George N. Longworth said. "The unit's presence on the Hudson ensures the safety of all who enjoying being out on the river."
In 2010, the Marine Unit assisted 59 vessels in distress, including rescuing boaters who were in the water because their vessels had capsized, were sinking or had caught fire. In addition to ensuring boating safety and enforcing Boating While Intoxicated Laws, the Marine Unit plays a counter-terrorism role in protecting critical infrastructure along the Hudson, including the Tappan Zee Bridge and the Indian Point nuclear power plants.